Case numbers are rising among all age groups.

That’s the warning from a number of Ireland’s leading health experts as the Cabinet prepares to meet this morning to discuss tightened restrictions ahead of Christmas.

A further 727 cases of Covid-19 were confirmed last night, 44 of which were in Cork.

Now pubs, restaurants, galleries and cinemas, as well as other services such as hairdressers and salons, are expected to be closed before December 25th. Non-essential retail is expected to remain open with strict social distancing measures in place.

A ban on inter-county travel is expected to come into force by December 27th.

“Our current disease trends are gravely concerning,” said Dr Tony Holohan, Chief Medical Officer, Department of Health, who is recommending a return to Level 5.

“The situation has deteriorated rapidly in recent days. A total of 3,837 cases have been notified in the past 7 days. The five-day rolling average has increased from 339 on 17 December to 616 on 21 December, an 82% increase. It is now as important as it was back in March to limit your contacts and protect your loved ones.”

Virus transmitting ‘very rapidly’

Professor Philip Nolan, Chair of the NPHET Irish Epidemiological Modelling Advisory Group, said:

“The virus is transmitting very rapidly, faster than we have seen at any point since March. The case numbers are growing at least 5-7% per day and, of particular concern, across all age groups.”

To date, the novel SARS-CoV-2 UK variant currently spreading in the UK has not been detected in Ireland.

“However, as we know the variant has been circulating in the UK since September, therefore we cannot exclude the possibility that the variant is already in Ireland.” said Dr. Cillian De Gascun, Medical Virologist and Director of the National Virus Reference Laboratory.

“We are prioritising the sequencing of cases with confirmed or suspected links to the UK.”

Uncertainty for local businesses

Meanwhile, Ireland’s pubs, restaurants and hotels face an anxious wait before the next steps are decided.

The management of Jaques Restaurant on Oliver Plunkett Street have made the decision to close after service on Christmas Eve for the foreseeable future.

“Once we are given clear guidelines we will open our doors again. Thank you to all our customers and we wish everyone a better 2021.” the restaurant told their Twitter followers.